Bagalkot, Feb. 28 -- Relatives of a retired Dalit army serviceman have alleged untouchability after shops and hotels in a Karnataka village closed their shutters when they arrived for his last rites on February 25.

Hanumantappa Harijan, 55, belonged to the Holeya community, listed under the Scheduled Castes. He had served in the army before his retirement.

According toThe Hindu, the trouble began in Chinnapur village in Bagalkot district when relatives who had come to pay their respects found that shops and hotels had downed their shutters upon learning that Dalits were visiting. One shopkeeper went as far as refusing to accept a soft drink bottle from a relative before pulling down his shutter, citing lunch break, a move that triggered...